A crowdfunding project of American Friends of Yad Eliezer

Aharon and Esther W. are not sure what the future holds for their special daughter. Tzipora must always be on a soft surface or wear a helmet because at any moment she can fall down and hit her head when trying to walk, or she may experience an unexpected but powerful seizure.

Tziporah W, Jerusalem

When Tzipora’s mother Esther was expecting her newest child, doctors noticed something unusual in prenatal testing but they couldn’t determine exactly what the issue was. Nevertheless she and her husband Aharon were overjoyed at the birth of their daughter Tzipora about four and a half years ago. They couldn’t wait to get to know their baby and raise her in their Jerusalem home with their beautiful family.

Tzipora grew each day as expected until something unexpected happened when she was three months old. She experienced an episode of unusual muscle spasms. Esther and Aharon took Tzipora to the doctor and didn’t want to believe what they heard: Tzipora was having a seizure, and after further testing she was diagnosed with Aicardi syndrome, a rare disorder (there are only about 1,000 documented cases in the U.S. and several thousand worldwide) where missing nerve fibers in the brain prevent the left and right sides from communicating.
Aicardi syndrome is characterized by seizure activity. Many children with the condition have difficulties walking or speaking and experience developmental delays (because the brain isn’t sending complete messages to the body). Sadly in Tzipora’s case, as she got older it became clear that she was affected in all of these ways.

Tzipora’s parents did everything possible to get all the help they could, for their daughter. She underwent various therapies for an extended time but they noticed that she wasn’t making significant progress in any of the areas she was lacking. They were discouraged and didn’t know what to do. Finally they learned some new information after getting in contact with other parents whose children had the same condition: There was a physiotherapist in Canada who specialized in developing treatment plans for Aicardi children. Esther and Aharon scrambled for funds to take the trip abroad and see him.

The investment was a costly one. Aharon and Esther went into substantial debt to cover the three week trip-something the hard working couple never would have expected to be forced to do. It also threw family life into upheaval, as the parents tried to figure out how to make arrangements for the other children left at home. But the well-being of their daughter was paramount and thankfully the investment paid off. The therapist developed a course of unique treatments that could be implemented by his students in Israel, which the family began immediately upon their return. Not long into the therapies Aharon and Esther began to see improvements in Tzipora’s abilities: When approaching a step while using her walker and leg braces, she now knows it is a sign for her to lift her leg. She is better at bringing a piece of bread closer to her mouth than she used to be. She is working on learning to drink from a cup. These seemingly simple types of activities are big milestones for this smiley, happy four and a half year old.

The results have brought some encouragement into the lives of Aharon and Esther, although they face a frightening hurdle. There is a window of ideal time to work with Tzipora , with a main goal of getting her to walk using this specific method, but it is only open for one more year. Still in significant debt from their previous trip abroad, they know Tzipora has a long road ahead of her and they can’t imagine how they will be able to fund additional consultations and treatments.

We can help Tzipora-we need to. But the clock is ticking and we can’t help her without you. Our goal is to raise $18,000. With these funds we will be able to make a lifetime investment ourselves, in the future of a little girl. Money will go toward another appointment with the specialist and cover the resulting costs of flights, the vital therapies themselves and loss of income due to the trip.
We hope these therapies will improve Tzipora’s quality of life.

Please help us get Tzipora the vital help she needs and say a Tefilla for Tzipora Feiga bat Esther.

Share This Campaign on Your Social Network

Share

Help Us Reach Our Goal!

Share

Read More Stories

UPDATE: Sara Leah continues to undergo treatments. Her parents had to take her to the U.S., leaving their other young children behind, getting shuffled between relatives. They are incurring substantial expenses so we are once again turning to you….

Share

Imagine what it must be like for a young mother to be chronically ill for decades. Shulamit M is just 46, but she has been sick since she was in her 20’s with a severe case of Fibromyalgia. It has manifested itself in constant, excruciating joint pains, extreme weakness and tremors.

Share

Air-conditioning makes the summer bearable, and while some may consider it a luxury, most of us take it for granted.
Yet for little Rivka it is a matter of life and death! Rivka was born with Down’s Syndrome, and since her birth she has had too many close calls.

Share

Eliyahu K. of Beit Shemesh worked hard to support his family until he was diagnosed with cancer. Then his wife Raila was put on complete bedrest. Now, neither parent is available for their children. With both parents out of commission, how will they get by?

Share

Mordechai, father of a large family, has learned firsthand what it’s like to juggle life’s ups and downs in rapid succession. Six months ago, he experienced a significant down. He had been feeling extremely weak and tests revealed Mordechai had a cancerous tumor….

Share

On a bright, sunny Thursday in January, 4 year old Malka, sat and played happily with her brand new sister, singing to her and laughing. By Friday, she could not speak, walk or understand anything that was happening around her. Results revealed an autoimmune disease.

Share

Aharon and Esther W. are not sure what the future holds for their special daughter. Tzipora must always be on a soft surface or wear a helmet because at any moment she can fall down and hit her head when trying to walk, or she may experience an unexpected but powerful seizure.

Share

“There is no love like a mother’s love”. That was painfully illustrated when we first met Yehuda’s mother, as she tearfully contacted us, looking for help for her son. Yehuda is a devoted, dedicated husband and father. Just 26 years old, Yehuda and his wife Feigie live with their 3 children…

Share

A family moves from France to Israel, hoping to make a better Jewish life for their children. For 14 years they do the best they can, their mother leading the family, working day and night to take care of everyone. Who will step in if something happens to her?